


The last ones to know

by R00w



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cute Ending, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, HP Next Gen Fest 2020, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogwarts Era, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27075889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R00w/pseuds/R00w
Summary: Albus and Scorpius have a very close relationship. Everyone can see it. Perhaps they are the last ones to know just how close they are.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 7
Kudos: 118
Collections: Next Gen Fest 2020





	The last ones to know

**Author's Note:**

> I had so much fun with this, I hope you like it, and that I did it justice <3

**_James [First year]_ **

So James was big and strong and energetic, just like his dad was at his age. Albus may have his looks but Jamie, he had everything else. Never let it be said that he was not his dad's son. He took a lot of pride in his family name and he wanted to be deserving of it. He wanted to make his father proud. 

Albus however, seemed to just care about the Malfoy kid. Ever since he came to Hogwarts, even before that, on the train, the two seemed attached at the hip. James just couldn’t understand it. 

And then Albus was sorted into Slytherin. 

It was hard at first, he had been joking when he started telling Al he would end up being a snake, of course, he had been joking! But as he saw his robes turn to green and silver, and he saw him take the place next to the Malfoy kid he felt betrayed. He was supposed to be a proud lion! Just like dad, and grandpa and all of them, just like  _ himself  _ . He also felt like he had failed his brother.

He could see how they looked at him, he heard the gossip and whispers behind his back, and it all just made him angrier. Angrier at his stupid little brother for putting himself in the rival house, at the stupid hat for breaking a long tradition of lions on the Potter name, at himself, because he felt like he had pushed Al into the snakes' nest.

Dad was of no help in that front. He had written home that same night, frustrated and angry and scared, because what would they say when they found out that he had made Al a Slytherin? And he had just answered with a lame “We will love Al no matter what, please tell that to your brother.” Yeah, great help dad, T H A N K S.

It actually took him years (just until his fifth year, so, just two years really. ROSE stop, it wasn't THAT long) to finally accept that no matter where his little brother was, he will always be family. It actually took Lily coming to Hogwarts to make him grow up and accept the whole situation. And ok, Al could be a sneaky snake, it was fine. They could move past this. They had moved past this.

But W H Y Malfoy? Why did he have to  _ date  _ Malfoy? There were so many other snakes in Slytherin. Why did it have to be the pompous, nerdy, girlish Scorpius Malfoy? Al was attractive, just like James was! He could get anyone he wanted. 

James watched them from afar, walking through the grounds to the same willow they always sat at and sighed. He would just have to accept this too, he could tell.

The blond kid was saying something, moving his hand in a small gesture and Albus laughed hard, clutching his stomach and holding Malfoy’s slim shoulder. The other Slytherin laughed too, mirth coloring his cheeks as a pale hand reached for his brothers' hand.

Well, as long as his little brother was happy, James was happy to punch whoever dared to say anything about him or his… boyfriend.

**_Lily [Second year]_ **

Lily Luna Potter was sweet and bubbly and overall happy. She had great parents, two big brothers that were the bestest brothers and a big happy family that was always there for her.

But out of all her relatives, her brother Albus was her favorite. Albus always was down to play anything, he would let Lily braid his hair and add all kinds of hairpins and even sometimes make him pretty with makeup. He would also help her do her hair, her red fiery curls neatly arranged on her shoulder as he braided it and she added cute sparkly flowers. So Albus was the best because even if he was a boy, he would always play with her and help her get pretty.

But it hadn't been like this always.

Lily remembered that time when Al used to be locked up in his room, reading or listening to music so loud that her head hurt, even if both their doors were closed and there was a hallway between them. She used to play all by herself. 

But when Al went to Hogwarts, in his second year, he changed. He started leaving his door open when he came back for Christmas break and began eating dinner with all of them. Even stayed and listened to her stories about her friends and books. He asked her if she would like for them to read together sometime! She had been really happy that night, cuddled beside him in front of the fire, reading her own book about a mermaid and a prince and a mean sea witch. He had a serious-looking book.

She finished her book first because she already knew what it was about and she sometimes skipped some pages because she didn’t like some parts, so she turned to her brother and asked, “What are you reading Al?”, her blue eyes and long lashes looking up at him from under his arm. Her soft pink and teal blanket over both their legs was warm and fluffy, mom had just given it to her, freshly laundered.

“Oh, just… something that a friend lent me,” he answered as he blushed. Lily looked down at the book again and tried to read, some words she recognized, but not enough to understand what it was about.

“Is she pretty?” 

“Who?” Al asked, looking down at her, placing a bookmark inside to save his progress and looking at her.

“Your friend, who let you take her book. Is she pretty?”

He laughed nervously, “Oh Merlin, Score is gonna flip his sh-ehhh,” and tilted his head to the side, looking at her again, a small smile on his lips “Why do you think it's a she?”

“Oh, just that, isn’t this like a romance story?” She looked down at the book again, peeking at the title and making out the words  _ Cauldron  _ and  _ love  _ from the cover. 

Her brother laughed hard, the book resting on his legs for a moment as he threw back his head. She smiled, she liked seeing him this happy. It seemed that he was really happy lately, he had been getting letters daily too. She was really happy that Al had found such a good friend.

“Oh no, no Lils, it's from a bloke, he’s my best friend.” He smiled then, softly as he gently brought the book up, hugging it to his chest. “He told me to read this and said he’ll quiz me when we get back from winter break. It's a potions book. He’s a nerd. But I guess if he lets his hair grow like Mister Malfoy he could look like a girl, he is pretty like that.” His face became red very quickly and Lily just giggled at him.

“I want to meet your pretty friend!” she declared.

Albus just blushed more “No, wait. Don't call him that! Scorpius, his name is Scorpius!”

Lily laughed at her silly brother. It would be years from now, but someday, she would look back at this moment and realize that Albus “pretty friend” was way more than just pretty, and way more than just a friend to her brother. 

As she was sitting on the Hogwarts Express for her fourth year across from them she looked at how the blond Slytherin would put his head on her brother's shoulder and how Al would smile down at him, all happy and blushed and just…  _ so in love  _ . They were talking about some new book Malfoy had gotten, the  _ nerds  _ . They were so cute and affectionate it was sometimes sickening. She was really glad that her brother had found Scorpius.

She just wished they could just tell her they were dating already.

**_Rose [Third year]_ **

As grandma Molly always said, Rose Weasley was in every way her mother's daughter.

She was capable and intelligent. She loved to read, to study and learn new things. To figure out how things worked and why they were made that way. She enjoyed solving riddles and fixing things. Her hair was also a mess of red curls that frustrated her. Before she went to Hogwarts, she used to spend a lot of time reading beside her mother and her cousin Albus used to accompany them and read with them. They spent many hours together, just sitting next to each other in a nice silence, the small sound of pages turning the only noise in Rose's room.

Albus was kind and silent. The type of person Rose enjoyed the most because he knew how to listen, he knew when to just shut up and listen to her ramble until she figured out something or when to speak up and offer his own ideas or solutions to take her out of the loop she was stuck in, which happened a lot during potions studying. He was just the best in Rose's opinion, and she would know, she was  _ very  _ smart.

But she was also Ronald Weasleys' daughter.

And unfortunately, that meant she was also kind of clueless to some human basic interaction. She was not a sweet innocent girly girl like her cousins Molly, Lucy, Victoire, Dominique, Roxane or Lily. Rose preferred to play Quidditch with her cousins, to sit down and read, to do something productive with her time. Not that learning to braid her hair hadn't been productive, she owed a big one to Victoire for that, but she didn't see the point in spending more than one evening in the Burrow learning a billion other ways to keep her hair down other than a ponytail or a french braid.

So she was pretty much clueless to the special way Scorpius Malfoy treated Albus or the long glances Al threw the blond’s way. And honestly, all that about women having a sixth sense was all crap anyway. She was also hot-headed and impulsive. So. She was very much their parents' daughter.

It was actually kind of funny, how Rose realized that Albus was dating Malfoy.

On the train back for the winter holidays during their third year she had sat down with Albus' who supposedly had had a big nasty fight with Scorpius and so he had been alone in the compartment. She and Al had drifted apart when they went to school, but they still shared small silent moments like this, as Rose’s friends were staying at Hogwarts for the break and she wanted to catch up on some reading she was behind on.

"Rose?" Al called, closing his book and placing it down on his lap. He was sitting facing the window and pulled his legs close to his chest, hugging them and looking… sad, for a reason she could not point. "Do you think I'm… boring?" he asked, not turning to her and instead seeming very interested and the blurry white landscape outside the train.

"What?" she said, surprised. Pausing her reading completely too. "Why would you be boring, Al?" There was no indication or hint as to what had started this line of questioning and Rose tilted her head to the side, brows furrowing in thought. Sure, Al was less noisy than the rest of the Weasley clan, and out of the Potters he was the least standoffish, but she wouldn't call him boring. He was a very intelligent person and knew a lot of things, his unique way of seeing the world giving a fresh point of view.

Her cousin simply sighed, a sad little pathetic thing. "It's just that… this is stupid. Scorp is stupid. Nevermind. Maybe I AM being stupid." He added as an afterthought, hugging himself tightly.

And Rose couldn't for the life of her tell what he was thinking about, but she had an idea of where this was coming from. The big empty Malfoy-shaped space next to him gave her a big hint "Why would you be boring Albus?" She asked again. She placed her book to the side and stood up, sitting beside him and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Do you… do you want to talk about it?" she offered, not really sure how to proceed. She was not good with emotions and clearly Al was having a lot of emotions right now.

"I just… Scorpius and I had a fight. He called me boring. And I've been thinking about it since." He looked so miserable that Rose wanted to punch Malfoy in the face. What kind of friend did something like this?! She knew she had been right about that bloke.

"Look Al, I don't think you should give a second thought to whatever Malfoy said. I've been telling you since first year that he is bad news and clearly if he has you this upset he is a bad friend."

Albus stood up in an instant, looking down at her, an angry expression on his face, the sadness fading away in seconds. "Look Rose, I know you don't like him, but even if we are fighting I'm not going to let you talk like this about him." He was red on the cheeks, flushed with annoyance. They had had this discussion at least five times now.

Rose stood up too, not one to give up a fight. "Like what, Al? With the truth? He clearly said something to upset you, probably on purpose too."

"People have arguments all the time, it's not a crime! And he is not like that! Why do you always assume the worst about him?!" he shot back, hands up in the air, angry stiff movements.

And she gave as good as she got, pointing at the door with an accusing finger. "Oh so he called you boring and left you alone and  _ I'm  _ the bad one?" Then pointing to the space between them "I'm the one here with you Albus!"

"It's just that every time he is mentioned you pull this kind of crap! I never talk like this about your friends, why can't you do the same for mine?!"

"Because my friends are not mean!" she shouted.

"Scorpius is NOT mean!" he defended, hands clutched at his sides. "He is caring, and gentle. He likes to walk on the grass barefooted and get soaked in the rain even if he knows he is going to be miserable when he gets a cold right after. He is amazing and smart and funny. He's loyal and compassionate." With each word, he softened, and with it the anger faded, a small smile adorning his lips. He briefly looked at something behind her. "He is also a smart-ass, and could probably learn to knock instead of eavesdropping." He finished, now a full grin that lit up his whole face, she realized he was no longer talking to her, his attention elsewhere.

Rose turned around, facing the compartment door and there the blond was. Standing awkwardly outside, Scorpius was waving, his cheeks a deep red that went from ear to ear, a crazy contrast with his pale skin.

She blushed too, realizing he had listened to their argument and crossed her arms, clinging to her anger. She was  _ right  _ dammit. Albus was just too starstruck to see it.

"Come in, you dork," Albus called, gesturing to the other Slytherin to come in.

"Hi Rose," he greeted the Gryffindor.

"Yeah, hi." She turned around and picked up her book, still angry and more so by Malfoy’s perfectly polite salute. Why couldn't he be as unpleasant as she knew he was?! He had to be  _ nice  _ to make her feel like an idiot. She sat down and looked outside, too angry to go back to his book and too stubborn to leave.

"Um, hi Al."

"Hi Scorp."

Both snakes just stood there, staring into each other's eyes and unmoving for what it seemed like and eternity. Then they both started speaking at the same time.

"I'm sorry." / "I want to apologize."

They stopped talking and stared some more. Rose wanted to hit them both.

"I missed you," Malfoy whispered, nervously glancing at her and then back to Albus. Instead of answering, the brunet pulled him into a hug, whispering something back that she couldn't quite catch that had Scorpius blushing even harder.

_ Oh  _ .

Oh. She stared now, not even pretending she wasn't paying her full attention on them. She looked, really  _ looked,  _ at the way Albus was pulling Malfoy into his arms by the waist, how he was burying his face into the almost platinum hair. How he was being hugged back by the neck, Malfoy having to stand a bit on his toes because Albus had had a growth spurt last summer, hiding his face on her cousin's neck and OH.

"Whatever Albus, I'm going to find James," she blurted out. Quickly walking around them to pick her book.

They untangled themselves, Albus giving her a questioning look in response to her hastiness. 

"Rose, wait," he called, arm outstretched towards her.

With her Quidditch reflexes she ducked, avoiding the contact and grimaced at him, not fully capable of smiling as she intended. Her mind went back to the hug. That small hug that told her just how blind she had been the past two years and a half. Oh this explained  _ so  _ much.

"Bye Rose," Scorpius said, stepping aside and holding the door open for her. And she hated how much of a gentleman he always was with her. She huffed, annoyed again with him and walked out.

As she walked to the last compartment where the Weasleys usually hung out, book firmly clenched between her fingers, she thought about all the times she had seen the two Slytherins together and by Merlin it was SO obvious she wanted to hit her face on the nearest surface. She settled with her free hand, facepalming herself.

Now she had to be  _ nice  _ to Malfoy. Albus was going to owe her so much for this.

**_Harry and Ginny [Fourth year]_ **

As the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the English Ministry, Harry Potter had developed observational skills so fine he could tell when someone was lying to his face or hiding something within seconds. It was small things, breathing too slow or too quick, sideway glances, hands covering the mouth, giving too many details no one asked for, nervous fidgeting, wand being twirled or changed from hand to hand. The list went on and on.

So when Albus asked if Scorpius Malfoy could come with them that year to visit Godric's Hollow he immediately could see how nervous he was. He assumed it was because he now knew of the history between himself and Scorpius' dad, Draco, and assured him that as long as his parents allowed it he didn't mind. Scorpius was a good kid, polite and educated.

So they had their annual family trip to visit his parents' graves. They cleaned the tombs, left freshly cut lilies from Ginny's garden and ate at the local pub.

It was overall a pleasant day. It was only when they returned home, James going up to his room and Lily going outside to play that he realized what had been different that time.

He was suddenly very aware of how close Albus had been with Scorpius Malfoy during their whole visit. How close they were sitting on the couch in the living room  _ right now  _ . Albus with a book on his lap, head reclined over the blond's shoulder. Scorpius in turn was looking down at the book, seemingly reading it too. He tried not to panic but he was never a meddling kind of parent. He liked to think he was more chill and relaxed. That he had given his kids space and time to grow and become their own persons. 

It had hit him like a truck.

His son was gay… no, that was  _ not  _ the pressing matter right now… his son was dating a Malfoy. He was dating Draco Malfoy's son. He looked up to Ginny, across from him on their dinner table writing her next article, and caught her sending tiny glances his way, and he realized she  _ knew  _ . She knew and she didn't  _ tell  _ him.

Oh my god, they were going to come out and he was in no way prepared for this… what is he supposed to say?! He just had  **the talk** with James! He had been really putting it off with Al and now he could feel himself running out of time on that one. But how was he supposed to do this right? Should he just smile? Say anything or nothing? By Merlin's beard, he was going to mess this up, wasn’t he? His and Albus relationship was just getting back on track, he didn't want to mess that up now!

And his wife only looked at him, laughter behind her beautiful blue eyes. She had been laughing at him, he could tell now as he tried to calm down and be rational about this.

Albus could be gay. Hell, he could be whatever he pleased to be, he was his kid, he would accept it no matter what. He would love him no matter what. The thing was that he had a  _ boyfriend  _ and he had no idea of how to not screw this up. He was terrible with relationships. What if he had questions? He didn't know how any of it worked!

Ginny right out laughed at him when she realized his foot was nervously tapping the floor. "It's going to be okay Harry." She put her quill down and took his hand in hers "Just let him talk and tell him you love him." She patted his wrist twice and went back to her work. Quietly humming a song he did not recognize.

That day Albus didn't come out, and Harry was grateful that life had finally given him time to fully prepare for something important. It was a nice change of pace.

**_Draco and Astoria [Fifth year]_ **

Draco sat at his oak desk, the surface impeccably clean and organized in neat piles. He was at his home study, the room big, opulent and every inch the pure-blooded tradition the heir of the Malfoy fortune ought to have. Draco hated it. But right now he could ignore it, just as all the work was being currently ignored in favor of reading Scorpius' last letter. He began reading, laughing at his son's antics and missing him more than before. 

Even if this was Scorpius' fifth year, they still practically shared their evenings together whenever they could and it was very weird to just not have him reading on the sofa in front of the chimney or asking a million questions at his side. As he finished reading he took out a quill and ink, intent on writing back.

“How was his first day this year?” a soft voice asked from the door.

Silver eyes looked up from the parchment. Astoria looked frail in her nightgown, pale and sickly. Her brown hair was loose, framing her face and gently resting over her chest. He was on his feet in an instant. “You should be resting” he admonished, gently taking her into his arms and guiding her to the nearest sofa. “I told you I was coming in a second.”

“That was an hour ago Draco.” She laughed shakily, thanking him silently for his help with a small smile as she made herself comfortable and pulled a blanket from the back of the couch over herself.

“He is happy. He's still friends with the Potter kid... and I think now with his sister too.” Astoria looked at him with her warm chocolate eyes, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. 

“You don't like it,” she stated as she folded her arms on her lap.

“Don't be ridiculous,” he huffed, standing up and retrieving Scorpius' letter from his desk. He sat beside his wife and offered the letter. She took it with a thin hand and placed it on her lap.

She said nothing and began reading. “That’s wonderful Draco!”

“That he befriended another Potter?” he said, half-joking, as he skimmed over the words again over her shoulder.

“That he has a  _ friend,  _ ” she amended softly, unrolling the parchment slowly as she read, caressing her son's words with delicate fingers. "It is good for him to socialize more. Having a friend."

"Albus Severus is also his friend."

She laughed softly, hugging his arm to her chest. "Surely you are not this naive Draco, not with your son and not at this age." She gave back the letter and Draco took it, a little bit shocked by her words.

"What am I not seeing?"

Astoria only raised an elegant brow, giving a small smirk.

Draco reread the letter.

"Seeing Scorpius with Albus reminds me of us when we got engaged. So young and full of life," she mentioned casually, looking to the fire on the chimney. "I do hope that you remember how hard we fought to be together, and how we hoped our parents were… supportive, of our choices," she added as she stood up. She simply kissed his cheek and walked away, leaving Draco alone with his thoughts.

It was so painfully obvious to Draco's eyes now that he knew what to look out for. Scorpius was going to end up with that Potter Kid… fate really  _ really  _ hated him.

It had been Albus this and Albus that since his first letter. And, ok, Potter was a Slytherin, that had to count for something, right? For what, Draco had no idea. His past experiences were nothing he could trust or base his opinion off. Or maybe they were, if Albus Severus was the exact opposite of what he and his classmates had been then he guessed they were off to a good start.

He remembered seeing the exact copy of Harry Potter, looking at him and his own son across King’s Cross Station before boarding the train and having a sort of revelation that his own son was going to be attending school the same year. He hoped, for a brief moment, that they could be friends, it seemed silly at that moment, like wishing upon a star. Well, be careful what you wish for.

But as he read  _ Albus  _ for the ninth time on the letter he just received from Scorpius, and he was only three paragraphs in, he smiled softly, letting the warmth from his son seep through and find its place in his heart. He was so glad that he had a…  _ friend  _ . He knew his childhood had been a lonely one. Even he had the rare playdate with Pansy or Blaise when they were little but Scorpius had no one to play with. He was happy for his son.

“ _ ... and then Albus showed me Lily’s familiar, it's a cute tiny owl. She has the most beautiful eyes father! They are big and round, black with yellow on the border. She has brown and white feathers, Albus let me pet her on the train and she actually moved into my hand!  _

_ Albus laughed and said that he liked me because I am cute. Cute! Can you believe that?! Of course I told him that, as a Malfoy, I am supposed to be handsome not CUTE. He just kept laughing at me. He stopped when I said HE was the cute one…”.  _

He figured that a Potter was better than a Weasley anyway.

And then he remembered that Albus Severus  _ was  _ a Weasley.

Fate really hated him. But he figured that there were things worse than having a Potter-Weasley as a son-in-law. He was just happy for Scorpius.

**_Scorpius and Albus [Sixth year]_ **

On the way back for Christmas break on their Sixth year, Albus and Scorpius were sitting on the train next to each other like every other year. They talked and laughed and shared their treats, just like always. Nothing new, nothing out of place, nothing different. If he perhaps touched Scorpius' hand as he offered another chocolate frog, well, nobody pointed it out.

Lily had been sitting with them for a while and then her friends had passed, she waved them goodbye as she left, telling them she would be back for her things once the train had reached the station, the door closing behind her. 

With a wave of his wand, Albus closed the curtains, blocking the view from the outside hall and locking the door.

Scorpius sighed, letting his head fall on Albus lap, legs going up on the seat, bending a little as he no longer fitted on the small space. Tan fingers automatically began brushing the silky long blond strands tenderly, messing with the beautifully complicated braid his sister had made for him a few minutes before.

"I don't think she noticed Al, you need to calm down," he pointed out, dismissively pointing towards where Lils had been sitting.

"I know, I'm sorry," Potter answered, nervously looking at the door again as noise from passing students could be heard outside. "It's just so new. I'm afraid of what they would all say."

Scorpius frowned up to his now boyfriend's face. And he couldn't help the butterflies going wild on his stomach. Boyfriend. They were finally boyfriends. "So you care what they are going to say?”

“I mean, yeah, they are my family.” Albus shrugged, absently thinking about what his parents and James would say when they found out during the Christmas dinner in a couple of days. He thought about what the Malfoy’s would say on New Years and bit his lip, worried. “What are your mum and dad going to say?” He voiced his concern out loud.

Understanding washed over the pureblood aristocratic features. “I thought you meant, like, the whole school.” A pale hand shot up, cradling his cheek tenderly. 

Albus laughed. “Since when have I cared about what the whole school thinks of me Scorp?” he retorted, smiling fondly down at him, tugging lightly at the blond hair.

“Hey! Watchit!” Malfoy complained, laughing too. "You have nothing to worry about darling." Even if Scorpius was nervous too, he felt happy. Content. He pulled the brunet down and Albus complied. They met half way for a small kiss. And wasn't that  _ amazing  _ ? That he could just kiss Al now? “We will be fine,” he said as they separated.

"Still. I feel like this few months have been hell, you know, hiding and sneaking around and all? I'm just glad it's going to be over soon." He looked out the window, his hand resting on Scorpius middle and he squeezed slightly, a pale hand coming up and holding it in place.

“I’m just glad nobody noticed,” the blond retorted.

Albus laughed, reclining himself on his seat, head resting over the back. “They will all be so surprised.” 

Scorpius saw him smile, a small thing, his lips curving upwards in the cutest way and he felt himself smile back, sappy and happy and just so in love. “Yeah, they will all be.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of HP Next Gen Fest 2020. The creator will be revealed at the end of November.


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